Terminal Sepsis?
The United Kingdom is becoming ever more dysfunctional as time progresses and the pace of its own implosion is logarithmically increasing.
Terminal Sepsis?
From positions of Societal influence, politicians deem their expenses claims are something for which the general public must accept as de-facto, as they do their lies. This corrosive arrogance has led, not to change, but to a weary acceptance in a Society feeling they have no influence and to Individuals taking salaries which are totally unjustified. I will return to the theme of the difference between Privately owned and Publicly Listed businesses in the coming months.
Corporations are led by Directors rewarded by becoming ever more interested in reducing tax-liability regardless of the consequences and taking sharp business practices to even further increase that profitability.
Public and Private Care Entities have become fixated on fiscal targets with people being left to die or treated cruelly all in the name of budget accountability.
Crazed ideas of PFI have led many public bodies into positions of debt with no prospect of meeting repayment schedules. Buildings relocated to more expensive projects, on the pretext that the land would become affordable homes – until the first cheap buyer sells a few months later for full market rate. Leaving a public estate heading to bankruptcy and no-additional property available as ‘affordable housing’ for what are called ‘Key-Workers’.
Politicians shirking responsibility by laying the blame on Quangos they created, with the very aim of deflecting their accountability and the Quangos being completely unaccountable to anyone.
Bribery and corruption has become the way to deal with the Police, in whom the General Public have little trust and the figurative bed-hopping between mainstream media, regulatory forces, politicians and Law enforcement has led to a complete lack of trust in the pillars of Society.
Through careful and studied manipulation the general population are duped to believe that the problems in society are those of the weakest not directly attributable to those with the greatest influence. Resulting in those with no influence tearing lumps out of each other in a frantic frenzy of cannibalism.
Until such time as the most influential in what is supposedly a Democratic Society are held to account, the faster this abuse and implosion will reach its inevitable conclusion.
I sense however the malaise of a festering infection akin to Sepsis has already set in to the psyche and it will only be a matter of time before the UK will inflict upon itself such terminal wounds that there will be no come back possible.
Economical with the actualité
Lying has become such an endemic strategy in British Politics, Business and Policing that it is little surprise the general public is dismissive.
Edmund Burke
Back in 18th Century Edmund Burke – who as an MP in the the House of Commons for The Whigs came up with the euphemism for lying with his summation – ‘Falsehood and delusion are allowed in no case whatsoever: But, as in the exercise of all the virtues, there is an economy of truth.’ Burke is viewed as the philosophical founder of modern Conservatism. Politicians of all sections have learnt the lesson well.
In 1986 another politician – A former Cabinet Minister – Robert Armstrong – brought it in to common parlance, whilst giving evidence during the Australian spycatcher trial in 1986.
Lawyer: What is the difference between a misleading impression and a lie?
Armstrong: A lie is a straight untruth.
Lawyer: What is a misleading impression – a sort of bent untruth?
Armstrong: As one person said, it is perhaps being “economical with the truth”.
In 1992 yet another politician – Alan Clark tried to make it all seem so noble an art for politicians to master when at the Matrix Churchill trial he exchanged under questioning -
Clark: Well it’s our old friend “being economical”, isn’t it?
Lawyer: With the truth?
Clark: With the actualité
This paroxysm of lying is now an inbred part of the culture of politicians in the UK that no-one sees it is a surprise. But it needn’t be the case and it is time the British Public and Media took Politicians to task for consistent lies rather than smile sweetly as with a naughty toddler.
Sadly this virus has spread wider than politicians and it is not a unusual site to look around a jury and find half the members stifling a laugh when a Policeman takes to the stand and takes a look at their black notebook – proclaiming – ‘this is what I observed at the time’.
This spiral of lies and deceit has subsequently found Bankers, Retailers, Manufacturers etc. deciding to join in the band wagon. That little bit of ‘bending the truth’ runs rife through the UK and is not acceptable and those in positions of influence must be called to account.
It is why Politicians think fiddling expenses is a fine and dandy thing to do. It is why none of these Police Officers – who can be clearly seen looking directly at the assault – actually saw anything of Harwood pushing and murdering Ian Tomlinson -
The murder of Ian Tomlinson
It is why staff at agencies such as A4E and G4S sign contracts they have no intention of fulfilling and seeking to find mechanisms to secure payment with little come-back, on occasion resorting to outright fraud – for which no-one is ever made accountable.
It is why Blair continues to fly around the world lecturing on moral probity when the September 2002 document in which his introduction advised – The document discloses that his military planning allows for some of the WMD to be ready within 45 minutes of an order to use them. -
Not only was the document proven to be wrong but his introduction an outright lie.
This comical and sweet sounding term – Economical with the actualité – is a pernicious and dangerous festering sore that needs to be stamped out.
What is Sauce for the Goose
Well Mr Cameron and Osborne have provided me with some the tax break sauce – reducing the additional rate from 50% to 45%, though I think it is sleazy.
I don’t avoid tax and my tax bill hasn’t altered in % of tax paid, other than the reduction I have on hand thanks to HMRC. To suggest that the only way to recoup tax is to reduce it for those on my tax-bracket whilst starving the poor is an affront. It is an insult to me and to the principals for which I stand.
It is very easy to tax people correctly, but the system is scared of people like me, whilst it screws over those with little fiscal muscle. We regularly hear the top 1% of earners pay 28% of taxable income – is that something to be proud of? No – it is an appalling indictment of the failure of Socio-capitalism and something I hang my head in shame over as I sign off my tax return. Why are so many of my fellow top earners such greedy fuckers?
The clue is in this image – am I the only one who thinks Osborne looks demented, any MP could be transposed here – they are all on the same kick of fantasy.
Osborne
Anyway I digress from the sauce and the real issue – VAT.
By adding some sauce to the gander there is a hope of moving forward the economy, but as long as Cameron and Osborne keep insinuating, we, the higher rate tax payers are fraudsters the less chance of the real issues coming to the fore.
Like you, I shop on-line and find my purchases and like you I find it is cheaper to buy from abroad than it is in the UK. This is almost in totality due to the punitive VAT rates in the UK.
This obsessive drive to insisting higher rate tax payers are fraudsters, conning the compliant that it is fine and dandy that 1% of tax payers pay 28% of tax and continuing to take the easy target of those who have no reply is an abomination.
Were the VAT rate to be reduced, along the same argument that my tax bill needs to be reduced, else I will go abroad, in the case of VAT and the average shopper – shop abroad, so we would find a coherent mind-set. But the ivory tower of Government doesn’t let them see the reality of the options.
In my view, the easing of the VAT rate over the easing of my tax bill would have been money far better spent. I will return to rampant tax evasion and Societal disconnect another day.
A Very Dangerous Country
The USA, after today’s ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, is with-out doubt the most dangerous country in the world.
Recognized as users of torture and enacted recently by the Presidency, detention for ever on no charges. Despite the conflict between the ruling over Abu Qatadar being sent to Jordan to face trial, which was declined on the grounds of torture, the European Court of Human Rights has acquiesced to a neat little stitch up between the USA and the UK.
Abu Hamza is charged with offences relating to hostage taking in Yemen and an alleged plot to set-up a terrorism training camp in the United States. Haroon Aswat is also accused in connection to the training camp.
Babar Ahmad and Talha Ahsan are accused of supporting terrorism through a website operated in London.
Adel Abdul Bary and Khaled al-Fawwaz allegedly played a part in organising the 1998 US Embassy bombings in East Africa.
Whilst I have no time for their cause or direction, the fact that British Citizens are being sent over the USA and the European Court of Human Rights approves, on a nod, a regime which is proud to torture detainees is a disgusting situation. I doubt we will know for many years precisely how much money changed hands.
The British Government who after 7 years of detention still couldn’t produce any evidence against Babar Ahmad
gave up and wanted to send him away to face the American Justice system. As the CPS acknowledges, he can’t be charged.
Let’s run that again…
Your 3 year old child is raped and the offender is prosecuted, 5 years later that person is freed and given a change of identity.
Babar Ahmad was held without trial for 7 years and the CPS acknowledges he can’t be charged, but he can be extradited.
You may dislike his politics as much as I do, but is it justice?
The UK is a very dangerous place for the citizens who thought at one time the UK Justice system prevailed for any offences they committed. We now have a litany of UK citizens not breaking UK laws being sent to the USA to face trial and UK citizens that the UK can’t prosecute being sent to America to be tortured. Time for a rethink perhaps?
The USA remains the most dangerous country in the world, with the power to torture with impunity and still the European Court of Human Rights acquiesces.
The Insanity of Politicians
In the UK the Labour Party tried to introduce more extensive surveillance legislation, the Tories opposed, now the Tories hold the upper hand, they want to introduce tighter surveillance legislation.
All politicians demonstrate their complete lack of intelligence and reality of life regularly and this proposal just highlights the Insanity of Politicians.
Scream
The Scream by Shayna Michaels
Does an perpetrator of ‘major crime’ as this is the suggested rationale really sit at home on a computer or send text messages without taking precaution?
Politicians don’t seem to have heard of – Proxy Servers, Dongles, disposable email addresses, PAYG phones, multiple sim-cards and now a Raspberry-Pi (which the average copper conducting a search wouldn’t think was in fact a computer).
The inference for the need to have legislation, which means everyone in the UK will be under-surveillance, being that we are all master minding a coup or running a major criminal syndicate. This legislation indicates more about the mind-set of politicians not the mind-set of a ‘master criminal’.
Never mind the Statism of it all, those who chirp up with the ‘if you have nothing to hide’ chorus can perhaps explain how this proposed piece of legislation would actually achieve it’s supposed objective?
Alcohol Pricing
The alcohol pricing issue is but another stake in the heart of the poorest sections of Society and bears no relation to reality.
Krug
The price ranges between £50 and £ 1 000′ish a bottle. I drink at least a case a week in addition to Red Wine. My closest friends, well they knock back the alcohol too. How many people do I know who drink alcohol below the ‘minimum pricing level’? Absolutely none. Yes I did know one person once on the Wirral, a really nice guy, who got it wrong and he is dead, that is the only ‘minimum pricing’ casualty I know. Now lets get an extra set of digits for the number of expensive alcohol drinkers who have died through alcohol poisoning, that I personally know. Would minimum pricing levels have made a jot of difference? You know the answer.
Have you ever been in to a City Wine Bar? Have you ever been in to the subsidised Politicians drinking den?
This war on alcohol pricing is absolute nonsense and is merely another swipe against the poorest in Society for the sake of it.
One day the Daily Mail will stop jumping with glee at every abuse of the most vulnerable (that is if any of them ever sober up) as every-time one of their number appears on Question Time they appear to be out of their head on drink.
Let’s stop harassing the poor and start looking at real issues.
They’re taking over the country
The debate over immigration in the UK is led on the one hand by the rabid Right Wing shoot them and then ask questions and on the other by, well no-one really.
So I thought it may be interesting to look at the Asylum Seekers, not total immigration, but those seeking asylum for whatever reason that may be.
With the rabid right, it would be easy to assume that there are hundreds of thousands of applications, driven by ‘illegal’ immigrants trying to con the great British Public all so they can have a council house, but figures released this week by the Home Office for those seeking asylum since 2009 up to October 2011 paints a rather different story.
asylum applications in the UK
Hardly a den of iniquity I think and maybe it would be more helpful if the media attempted to portray just the slightest element of truth.
Social Unrest
We constantly hear that the protestors in the August 2011 disturbances in UK are scum, hooligans and common criminals. Certainly there are elements who fit that category, however to focus on the minority is to miss the reality of how deeply divided the country stands.
Social disconnect
We have a Society which just recently was torn asunder by a systemic failure in the Banking system, old preconceptions of Capitalism were ripped away by the crass behaviour of banks to fail to secure their loans, under the pretext of lending rules, which even now permit banks to count loans as capital. Complex financial instruments which Credit Rating agencies failed to understand and rated incorrectly, regulators who didn’t understand what they were regulating and a political and media frenzy focused on revenue generation.
Bankers were rewarded for going bankrupt and individuals were convinced it would all be fine in the end. The mantra of 2.5% inflation was all that mattered, itself a fictitious number drawn from no genuine analysis.
The net result being a perception that greed really was good and avarice and ownership is the mark of attainment.
On the collapse, instead of a humbling of the banks, the Labour Party decided to refinance the banks with taxpayers money with no sanctions or penalty. This has led those self same banks to be in the position of lending money to the Governments who bailed them out, with effectively the very money that6 bailed them out, at punitive rates of interest. The new Government while talking tough have in reality merely punished the tax-payers further for the failure of politicians to seize the metal.
We still have a Society in which ownership of the latest bling is the measure of value and it can hardly be of any surprise that those with no bling are somewhat miffed at the situation. We hear much talk of the sharing of pain, but those in the have not pile feel, justifiably or not, that the pain is being inflicted at the have not pile.
We have a disconnect in the country as life has been too easy for too many years for the Westminster coterie. There is little public perception that MPs have actually bothered to clean up their act and we find the the Police and Media are just a bribe away from an orgy. Those with influence take, those without suffer.
I hear from Police Officers now, about how they fully support Peaceful demonstrations, but are appalled by the violence of the current round. The self-same police forces that kettle as a matter of course and cover up the murder of Ian Tomlinson. Politicians also like to spout how they accept peaceful demonstration as being a reasonable expression, but just a few months ago were lambasting Students and anti-cuts protestors as scum of the earth.
It has been evidenced that the system in which we live does not respond to either democratic vote, or demonstration. What exactly does Society expect those who are disenfranchised to do? Shut up and put up, or perhaps get violent.
These demonstrations are probably only a precursor to more aggression. When the establishment doesn’t listen, history has shown it falls.
The Democratic Disconnect
Through-out history social structures have evolved and been radically changed through revolution.
We, in the UK, currently live in a Representative Democracy, which has evolved over time, to give ever wider sections of Society a role in the election of representatives. But it is not a pure Democracy, rather a socially engineered system of Government it is, as it says on the tin a flawed ‘representative democracy‘ and as such vast swathes of the population have no representation.
Whilst in the early stages of its evolution this was not an issue, as individuals have gained greater knowledge and raised expectations, this system of Government is creaking at the edges.
Those who support the status quo of course attempt to claim the moral high ground prefacing their argument with the construct that they are right, in much the same way that any evangelist enters a conversation.
In very simple terms 1 in 3 people, registered to vote, did not vote at the last election. Evangelists claim their failure to engage is their own fault. They never question why that 1 in 3 do not vote, perhaps some of them do not support representative democracy as a valid system of Government.
Of the remaining 65% who did vote, nearly 1 in 2 didn’t vote for the current Government.
To turn that in to a raw score – only 17 500 000 people in the UK actually voted for this Government which means that of the estimated 55 000 000 adults in the country only 30% of the population actively (at the last general election) support the Government in principal.
To suggest that a system whereby 7 out of ten people do not support the legislature is ‘representative’ is farcical.
It can not be right that 70% of the population is disregarded, sneered at and ignored by politicians, which is in effect what happens in the Chamber of the House of Commons.
Are there alternatives and does it actually matter?
Follow-up posts to be published
